The Rowlett City Council on Aug. 5 approved a contract with Glow Geeks LLC to install bistro (string) lighting across downtown Main Street and adjacent corridors for an amount not to exceed $300,000. Council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase through a BuyBoard cooperative contract and directed the city manager to execute related documents. The vote was unanimous, 6–0.

Project scope and schedule: The project covers roughly 0.7 miles of downtown and includes about 15,000 feet of lighting arranged in an X pattern across the downtown core, additional linear runs near the green and Martin Street, and up to 7,500 RGBW lamps spaced on 24-foot string segments. The design calls for 16-foot steel poles, stainless-steel guide wires and hardware, and a five-year manufacturer warranty on materials. Material lead time for custom-length runs is 5–6 weeks; pole and guide-wire installation would begin immediately after contract execution with a target completion in October 2025.

Costs and funding: Glow Geeks’ submitted price was $296,390; the city set a not-to-exceed cap of $300,000. Funding was described as a split between the downtown improvement fund (a voter-approved downtown bond allotment) and surplus from an industrial street project (the staff estimate was $150,000 from the downtown fund and up to $150,000 from expected project savings), with staff noting Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds would not be available in time because of environmental review requirements.

Design and operations: The lights are RGBW (color-changeable) and can be scheduled centrally; staff and the vendor said the system can be set for holidays and events and will tie into existing streetlight circuits and timers. The council settled on frosted bulbs to reduce glare. Vendor and staff said the low wattage of lamps would create minimal new electrical load and that most existing lampposts have accessible handholes for transformers. An annual maintenance option (about $7,500) is available; the vendor said spare parts and staff training would be provided.

Why it matters: The project implements an element of the city’s downtown strategic plan (adopted Oct. 2024) that calls for more lighting to encourage nighttime sidewalk activity and help alleviate the downtown perception-of-safety concerns. Council members said the lighting will support events, increase foot traffic and evening safety, and help connect the DART station with the downtown core.

Vote and next steps: Council member Shoop moved to approve; Britton seconded. The motion passed 6–0. Staff will finalize the BuyBoard contract and the city will begin ordering materials and scheduling installation.